Laboratory for Functional Foods and Human Health, Center for Excellence in Post–HarvestTechnologies, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Research Campus, 500 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC.

Abstract

Avenanthramides (AVAs), unique phytochemicals in oat, have attracted an increasing amount of attention due to their outstanding health benefits. However, the chemical profile and the levels of AVAs in commercial oat products as well as their health benefits have not been examined in detail. In the present study, a total of twenty-nine AVA aglycones and AVA glucosides were identified and characterized from oat bran, using NMR (1D- and 2D-NMR) and LC-MS techniques. Among them, seventeen novel AVA glucosides were reported in oat bran for the first time. The most abundant AVA glucoside, 2c-3′-O-glc, had a similar growth inhibitory activity with the major AVA, 2c, against HCT-116 and HT-29 human colon cancer cells, indicating glucosylation does not affect the growth inhibitory effects of AVAs. Furthermore, the levels of all individual AVAs in thirteen commercial oat products were analyzed using HPLC-MS/MS. The total AVAs contents in various oat products ranged from 9.22 to 61.77 mg/kg (fresh weight).